Who Was That Team?
Wow. What a weekend. I have to admit as I saw a Jim Thome fly ball sail over Jay Gibbons glove (as Jay jumped INTO the wall) on Thursday night that this team was simply doomed. After all, this was Jeremy Guthrie coughing it up. Was the Cinderella story over? For the next 10 minutes, I winced in pain as Guthrie let his two-strike pitches catch too much of the plate and Jay Gibbons looked like a little leaguer in the field, costing the team play after play. Yep, after hearing about Dave Trembley's pep talk, I was embarassed about this team and that the team probably heard the speech, but didn't listen.
But then something happened...
The Orioles starting playing like a big league ball club.
With their $25 million left side of the infield on the DL. With their disappointing 5-7 hitters (Huff, Gibbons, Ramon) continuing to struggle. With their most consistent starter knocked around like he was Sidney Ponson. For one glorious weekend, the Orioles fought back.
And fighting back begins with an ace.
Erik Bedard was absolutely outstanding again. Going up against Mark Buehrle, he took out the recently-rewarded pitched with his third shutout in four starts (though he needed help with two). It's as if he was sending a message to the Oriole brass: "If Buehrle is worth that much, how much am I worth?" Not so fast, Erik. But keep it up and you'll be right there.
Of course, even a shutout is often not enough to beat Mark Buehrle. So, the Orioles went the power route (they hit seven in the series!) with Markakis and Patterson going deep. Nick hadn't hit one in a month. Corey had only hit two all season before that one. A nice lean 2-0 win with a good job from the bullpen, including Chris Ray (more on him in a minute). Saturday featured yet another four-run comeback. For a team with such an anemic offense, the O's have pulled off quite a few of these comebacks of late. It's as if the pressure of the close game removed and with nothing the lose, the Orioles start hitting and pitching. Chill, guys! Anyway, it was a reminder of the power of the long-ball when Millar and Payton quickly turned 5-1 into 5-4. And Markakis and Patterson showed the value of hustle, both advancing to third on fly balls. Patterson also stole a clutch base and Markakis made the gutsy call to go for home on the wild pitch (good thing given Payton struck out). Sometimes, you need to make your own breaks. Meanwhile, Chris Ray got the win by a three up, three down inning that seemed to last a minute.
Sunday's game was remarkable in how unremarkable it was (save for Garrett Olson's first big league win). Solid starting pitching. Timely hitting. Some power. Great effort from the bullpen. Baez setting it up. Ray nailing it. This is exactly how Flanagan and Duquette have wanted this season to go. Get ahead, and then let the former stopper and current stopper slam the door. I think the idea of Danys Baez actually doing what he was acquired to do is exciting. Suddenly, that takes pressure off of Bradford & Walker (who were already overworked--notice Bradford didn't pitch yesterday) and gives the team the bullpen balance (and overall tea confidence) it so desperately needs. And let the Chris Ray we saw from April to June be a distant memory as the guy we see now keeps the ball down and away. It's as if Leo Mazzone was his pitching coach. Oh wait, he IS the pitching coach. I guess it's a question of listening, sometimes.
So we are 91 games into the season. If this blog wasn't called "Fourth Place Birds", it could've been called "41-50" as that has been the Oriole record for four of the past five seasons after 91 games. I find that a little spooky given how different every season feels. The Orioles always end up here (the lone exception being 2005, where they got off to the great start and then had the second half from hell). Now, where they go from here has varied. None of the teams has gone 40-31 (the price for .500). Of course, we all want to believe this year's final 71 will be different (the best has been 37-34) and if the play like they did this weekend, it's a distinct possibility--even with Tejada and Mora continuing to miss action. Great pitching, great heart, and plain solid baseball from inning 1 to 9. That was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Now they need to make it July, August, September. C'mon O's--make this a place Mark Teixeira would want to play.
And plus, you're in Seattle this week, so I'll be watching you in person on Tuesday and Wednesday. Show me something.
But then something happened...
The Orioles starting playing like a big league ball club.
With their $25 million left side of the infield on the DL. With their disappointing 5-7 hitters (Huff, Gibbons, Ramon) continuing to struggle. With their most consistent starter knocked around like he was Sidney Ponson. For one glorious weekend, the Orioles fought back.
And fighting back begins with an ace.
Erik Bedard was absolutely outstanding again. Going up against Mark Buehrle, he took out the recently-rewarded pitched with his third shutout in four starts (though he needed help with two). It's as if he was sending a message to the Oriole brass: "If Buehrle is worth that much, how much am I worth?" Not so fast, Erik. But keep it up and you'll be right there.
Of course, even a shutout is often not enough to beat Mark Buehrle. So, the Orioles went the power route (they hit seven in the series!) with Markakis and Patterson going deep. Nick hadn't hit one in a month. Corey had only hit two all season before that one. A nice lean 2-0 win with a good job from the bullpen, including Chris Ray (more on him in a minute). Saturday featured yet another four-run comeback. For a team with such an anemic offense, the O's have pulled off quite a few of these comebacks of late. It's as if the pressure of the close game removed and with nothing the lose, the Orioles start hitting and pitching. Chill, guys! Anyway, it was a reminder of the power of the long-ball when Millar and Payton quickly turned 5-1 into 5-4. And Markakis and Patterson showed the value of hustle, both advancing to third on fly balls. Patterson also stole a clutch base and Markakis made the gutsy call to go for home on the wild pitch (good thing given Payton struck out). Sometimes, you need to make your own breaks. Meanwhile, Chris Ray got the win by a three up, three down inning that seemed to last a minute.
Sunday's game was remarkable in how unremarkable it was (save for Garrett Olson's first big league win). Solid starting pitching. Timely hitting. Some power. Great effort from the bullpen. Baez setting it up. Ray nailing it. This is exactly how Flanagan and Duquette have wanted this season to go. Get ahead, and then let the former stopper and current stopper slam the door. I think the idea of Danys Baez actually doing what he was acquired to do is exciting. Suddenly, that takes pressure off of Bradford & Walker (who were already overworked--notice Bradford didn't pitch yesterday) and gives the team the bullpen balance (and overall tea confidence) it so desperately needs. And let the Chris Ray we saw from April to June be a distant memory as the guy we see now keeps the ball down and away. It's as if Leo Mazzone was his pitching coach. Oh wait, he IS the pitching coach. I guess it's a question of listening, sometimes.
So we are 91 games into the season. If this blog wasn't called "Fourth Place Birds", it could've been called "41-50" as that has been the Oriole record for four of the past five seasons after 91 games. I find that a little spooky given how different every season feels. The Orioles always end up here (the lone exception being 2005, where they got off to the great start and then had the second half from hell). Now, where they go from here has varied. None of the teams has gone 40-31 (the price for .500). Of course, we all want to believe this year's final 71 will be different (the best has been 37-34) and if the play like they did this weekend, it's a distinct possibility--even with Tejada and Mora continuing to miss action. Great pitching, great heart, and plain solid baseball from inning 1 to 9. That was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Now they need to make it July, August, September. C'mon O's--make this a place Mark Teixeira would want to play.
And plus, you're in Seattle this week, so I'll be watching you in person on Tuesday and Wednesday. Show me something.
posted by sandyk at
6:07 PM
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